Grateful Dead Biography

The History of The Grateful Dead

Some people refer to The Grateful Dead (also known as The Dead) as “influential”. Some think of them as “inspirational”. But almost everybody agrees that The Grateful Dead was one of the the greatest bands of all time.

The Grateful Dead was formed in 1965 in Haight-Ashbury, California. Haight-Ashbury is a place in San Francisco where musicians meet. Originally, they called themselves The Warlocks, but another band has already claimed that name. They looked through the dictionary and Jerry found “The Grateful Dead”. He was instantly hooked. This band was known for its unique style and very long improvisations during their live shows. The main members of The Grateful Dead included Jerry Garcia (lead guitar/vocals); Bob Weir (rhythm guitar/vocals); Phil Lesh (bass guitar); Ron “Pigpen” McKernan (keyboards/harmonica);Bill Kreutzmann (drummer); and Mickey Hart (the other drummer). Another thing that made this popular 70's band unique was the fact that they had two drummers, which gave their music more of a rythmic beat. Garcia was in other bands, including The Jerry Garcia Band; Old and In the Way; the Garcia/Grisman duo; Leigon of Mary; and confounded The New Riders of the Purple Sage. Weir was also in a few other bands: Kingfish; Bobbby and the Midnites; and Ratdog. If you are wondering what genre of music The Dead played, as Bill Grahm said, “The Grateful Dead aren't the best at what they do, they are the only ones that do what they do.” That means you can't box The Dead into just one style of music because they played so many kinds, including rock, folk, reggae, blues, country, bluegrass, gospel and jazz.

The Grateful Dead wrote and preformed around 1,500 songs. The Grateful Dead's most popular albums were American Beauty; Blues for Allah; Europe 72; Reckoning; and Terrapin Station. They wrote so many songs who's lyrics covered a wide range of topics, it is hard to say what a majority of their lyrics were about. The music itself changed over time; from bluesy and hardcore rock 'n' roll to more upbeat and melodic. The Grateful Dead's inspiration for their music was the social movement of the 60's (when young adults rebelled against the establishment). They were influenced by The Beatles, although their music was different. The Dead's concerts could go on for days because there were so many songs for them to choose from. For over four decades, The Grateful Dead preformed hundreds of shows a year. Their loyal followers, known as the Deadheads, would follow the tours and go to every show. The Deadheads would build their lives around going to all of their concerts. They would set up outside of the shows and make a festival-like market, selling shirts, bags, food, videos of shows, hats, and sadly, drugs.

People thought of Jerry Garcia as The Grateful Dead's spokesperson, although he didn't like the title at all. He wanted to be equals with everybody else. All he wanted to do was just be "playin' in the band". Garcia was known for the way he could make a guitar whine like nobody else could. When he picked up his guitar, such a sweet and melodic sound would come out, it was simply enchanting. Once Jerry Garcia died, the remaining members of the band toured under the name "The Other Ones" for a while, but eventually settled with The Dead. Alcohol and drugs were responsible for the deaths of at least three other members. Although The Grateful Dead is not together anymore, their music will continue to inspire millions to "venture a little bit further than they've gone before" and the music will "not fade away".